Picture this scenario – Infidelity does not exist, every couple, be they married or partners, are faithful to each other. There is no deceit of any kind. Every couple believes that the family that prays together stays together; every man believes that to really love his children, he must first love their mother; every woman is convinced that even though she is fat and over 40, her husband will not stray, therefore she need not fall into the unfaithful trap when a Godzilla look alike type of guy gives her the eye.

Picture another scenario – a young couple madly in love, the girl decides to remain a virgin till her wedding day, the guy refrains from lusting after meeting the woman of his life and opts to remain celibate till those rings are on their fingers.

Picture even another scenario – a widow at 30 years of age, a woman who has abstained from sex for a number of years, making a vow to remain faithful to a dead husband even though she longs for the loneliness in her life to end. She finds company in the form of another widower but decides to play monopoly or snakes and ladders since they both agree that sex is only for married people, and they are forever faithful to their dead spouses.

This is not the real world and anyone who swallows the story of abstinence from sex and being forever faithful is more of a fool than the antics of the late Sir Charles Chaplin!

I have no qualms about admitting that I was a virgin till my wedding day; neither do I approve of unfaithfulness between husband and wife and I simply loathe those lonely women who are partial to one night stands just to satisfy their sexual desires and needs but at least I live in a real world and I know that these things are happening and will keep on happening.

Philip Carabot, consultant in genito-urinary medicine who described the Catholic Church’s campaign against the use of condoms as “obstinate and very dangerous” (TMID, 26 March) with HIV and Aids being the main cause of danger, was right to be rattled over Pope Benedict’s recent declaration. The latter seems adamant on living in an unreal world where it is better to be sorry than safe. With HIV, hepatitis and all sorts of sexual diseases transmitted through sex, isn’t some form of contraception needed? Whatever happened to the saying – “If you can’t be good, at least be careful!”